


Unspooled: An Anti-Romance in Three Parts

by ladyjax



Category: Wonderfalls
Genre: F/M, Female Character of Color, Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-20
Updated: 2010-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 21:29:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/141912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyjax/pseuds/ladyjax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When you have love, lies, and messages from the universe mixed together, it's a wonder that everything just doesn't fall apart.  Just ask Aaron, Jaye and Mahandra.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unspooled: An Anti-Romance in Three Parts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [corleones](https://archiveofourown.org/users/corleones/gifts).



> Post-series with references to the Wonderfalls episodes "Wax Lion" and "Caged Bird." Bon Ami is a recognized trademark of The Faultless Starch / Bon Ami Company.
> 
> Many thanks to coniraya and sugargroupie for beta reading and editing. Any other mistakes are my own.
> 
> Written for Yultide 2010.

**I.  Undercover**

The snowfall and the emergency personnel fell away when he kissed Mahandra.  Aaron's entire world collapsed into a singularity where holding her in his arms was almost like coming home.

Which was why he could be forgiven for forgetting that there might be an audience.

They drew away from each other, smiling, and then turned to face his family.

Aaron's parents looked bewildered but cautiously happy, while Sharon was grinning so hard that it was possible her face would crack with the cold. When Aaron looked at Jaye, there was a much more intriguing mix: happiness, sadness and consternation. Aaron supposed it could be because her beau, Eric, was walking away with his wife (or whatever she was to him).

Then on the other hand, it could be that thing. And if it was that thing then he definitely was going to be on the hot seat before the night was out. If not from Jaye, then from Mahandra. They may have come from different mothers but the two of them were cut from the same cloth: smart, tenacious and a little bit neurotic. 

"I think we just outed ourselves."

Aaron looked down at Mahandra and hugged her to his side. "They sort of knew I was seeing someone,” he said sheepishly.

She drew back. "Did you tell them it was me?" Aaron shifted from foot to foot.

"No, I didn't. Although, if their smiles are any indication, they don't particularly care." Leaning in he whispered, "My mother will be overjoyed that I have someone period."

"Well, far be it from me to argue with Karen Tyler," Mahandra said. She cocked her head to the side. "I should go see how Jaye's doing."

Aaron nodded. "I'll go with you."

As they walked over Aaron braced himself for the inevitable. It wasn't long in coming.

Karen: "How long has this been going on?"

Sharon: "You two look so cute together!”

Darrin: "You're practically family, Mahandra. I'm not really surprised by this at all."

One arched eye brow from Jaye followed by: "When were you going to tell me about this?"

He pretended not to hear the hint of accusation in her voice but he felt his cheeks flush as though he'd been caught cheating.

All the words and the lies could have tumbled out of either his or Jaye's mouths at that moment. Instead, he shrugged and said, "I was getting around to telling you."

*

 _When Jaye was 15 and he was 17, their parents went out of town to one of their father's innumerable medical conferences. "You two are smart enough to live together without us as referees," Karen had said then as Darrin loaded her bags into the cab. "We'll be gone a week. If you have any problems..."_

 _Aaron rolled his eyes. "If we have any problems, we call Sharon."_

 _"She'll come and bail us out if we get arrested," Jaye had thrown in helpfully. She was all long straight hair and gangling limbs. Quick witted and always ready with a come back when one was needed.  Aaron wrapped his hand around her mouth, muffling her so that she didn't say anything else, her body rubbing against him as she tried to move away.  He just plastered her tighter against him and grinned at his mother._

 _Karen shook her head. "I have no idea how the two of you came out of my womb."_

 _Jaye pulled Aaron's hand away and quipped, "Lots of practice!" Aaron gagged her again and waved as his parents drove away._

 _Once their cab was a speck on the horizon, he let Jaye go. "You just can't leave well enough alone can you? I swear, one more word and we were going to be on permanent lock down with Sharon."_

 _Jaye grinned at him cheekily, walking backwards towards the house. "You totally want to say the stuff I say. You don't because you think mom and dad will cut you out of their will." She turned her back on him and sauntered away. Aaron tried to pretend for days afterward that he hadn’t been watching her ass._

 _But then, that would have required him to actually tell himself the truth. At that point in his life, Aaron was already practiced in the art of lying._

**

His mother suggested dinner, which was right and proper. 

"Of course you have to come, dear.  You and Aaron.  I want to hear all about it," was all Karen said, which in Mahandra's head translated into: “She's going to kill me and carve me up for a pot pie for fucking you."

Aaron knew his mother; in spite of her icy cold exterior, she really wanted what was best for all of them, but he only nodded sagely and said yet again, “My parents love you.”

Mahandra was family or as close to family as a best friend could get without being born out of the same womb. Karen and Darrin had taken one look at the little black girl their youngest daughter had brought home after school one day and shrugged. Either the friendship would stick or Jaye would grow out of it.

As  it turns out, she and Mahandra were like burrs sticking to one another with a prickly affection that survived adolescence and college, boyfriends (one girlfriend in Mahandra's case), and the ups and downs of life.  Given how ever-present Mahandra was in the life of the Tyler family,  her dating Aaron just seemed like a logical progression.

The jury was still out as to whose logic was in play.

Aaron supposed that it could be worse: how many people could say they had the pleasure of having both their (thoroughly inappropriate, as in illegal in most states of the union) lover and brand spanking new girlfriend sitting at the same dinner table?

He reached beneath the table to caress Mahandra's thigh and was gratified to feel the play of muscle beneath her jeans. Mahandra kept it cool and didn't react but he could tell that she wanted to and for a brief moment, he was tempted to go a little further.

"Pass the peas, Aaron and stop making goo goo eyes at your girlfriend."

The tart words snapped him out of his reverie and he looked up to see Jaye watching him, her eyes searching. Reaching out, he caught up the bowl of peas and handed them to her.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

That sounded like a plan.

 

 **II.  Undone**

Life in the Airstream was precarious at best, a fact that Jaye was intimately familiar with. When the heating unit decided to give up the ghost, she was easily enticed back to the family homestead with the prospect of a warm bed (plus laundry), at least until things could be fixed.

This meant that she had a front row seat to the Aaron and Mahandra Hour.  Since her brother wasn't showing any signs of moving out, it meant that he'd have to get creative about where he and Mahandra could get it on.  Her apartment was one, his bedroom another.

Lord knew she and Aaron had their moves down pat when it came to finding places that they could be together.

Late one evening, Jaye walked down the hall towards the bathroom and passed by Aaron's room. She stopped when she saw him lying on his bed.

Jaye stuck her head in the room and said, “Hey.”

He didn't even bother to turn his head. Jaye rolled her eyes. Where Mahandra was deeply demonstrative when it seemed like things were falling apart at the seams, Aaron turned inward, which was a good quality for someone who was a comparative religion major but sucked if you were trying to form an action plan.

"I hate it when you think too loud," she said as she sauntered into his bedroom and hopped on his bed. "I haven't seen you this serious since you defended your diss.”

Aaron moved over so that she could lie next to him. Instead of the usual flannels and sweatshirt she'd normally wear on a cold night in the trailer, Jaye sported a camisole and panties, the warmth of the house making her almost giddy. She turned on her side, resting her head on her arm and looked at him.

“You want to tell Mahandra about our thing.”  Jaye always called it “the thing.”  She never bothered to find something that was remotely acceptable because in what world was it ever okay that the two of them had a “thing” in the first place?

“How'd you guess?”

Jaye just rolled her eyes and snorted.  He reached out and slid his fingers across the strip of skin between the top of her panties and the bottom of her camisole, a familiar gesture that was like putting on a comfortable sweater.

"You do realize this is what happens when you have a family that's almost completely hard core Republican."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Aaron asked, his fingers never stopping. "Are you going to dazzle me with some of your sisterly logic?"

“What I mean is that we're primed to have all of these deep dark secrets, sort of like Nancy Reagan and her astrologer.”

"Maybe I shouldn't tell her." Aaron said thoughtfully. "We've gone this long without anyone knowing."

Jaye thought about it, then said, "I was going to tell Mahandra once. I was drunk. Fortunately I came to my senses.  What was I going to say, “'My brother and I have been snuggle bunnies for years?'”

"I should be grateful that you don't make it sound tawdry." Aaron said, lips curling into a small smile.

Jaye smirked. "Maybe."

He turned on his side and ran his fingers down her cheek. "Are you okay with this? Her and me?"

She shrugged. "It'd be kind of fucked up for me to be jealous, now wouldn't it? It's not like we're dating."

They were quiet for a moment and then Aaron said, "The morning after Mahandra and I had sex the first time she freaked out."

"Your technique isn't that bad,” Jaye mused thoughtfully.  She held up her hands to protect her head when Aaron thwacked her with a pillow. "When did this happen?"

Aaron paused and looked away.  Some random fact clicked in Jaye's head and she squeaked, "That day I called you and got Mahandra. I called the right number. She was here with you!”

"Shhh!" Aaron waved at her and looked over his shoulder. No one was in the hallway but he couldn't be too careful. Rolling off the bed, he padded over to his door and closed it to a crack. "We had a great time, I'll have you know. Anyway she said sleeping with me was like sleeping with her brother. Or your brother." He shook his head and finished exasperatedly, “Whatever.  Either way she’s still kind of skittish.”

Jaye rolled over on her back.  “My vote?  Don't tell her.  At least not right now.  It's not just your relationship but me too.  That's gonna cause a big old stink.” 

Later, when everything spun out of control, Jaye would remember this moment and wonder why the universe had it out for her so bad.

**

Things settled into a routine: Mahandra over for dinner once or twice a week, just like when they were kids.  Her mother practically fitting her for a wedding dress.  Aaron and Mahandra slipping away as soon as they possibly could with Jaye not too far behind.  Normal.

Any misgivings Jaye had about keeping her thing with Aaron secret were easily quashed in favor of what little bit of harmony was suddenly reigning in her life.  No inanimate voices plagued her, the heater in her trailer was eventually fixed and even the gift shop failed to ruffle her metaphorical feathers.  Her relationship with Eric was moving slowly but inexorably towards something that looked like it could work out and ever magnanimous, Jaye started spending a little more time with her family if only to help Mahandra out.

In Jaye's world, silence was definitely golden.  So she could be excused for not being on her game when an express package of crazy suddenly showed up on her doorstep.

After another dinner (“Taco Night!” Karen enthused) and with Yvette having the night off, Jaye was on dish duty.  She scooped up the dinner plates, winked at Mahandra and mouthed, “Ten minutes.”  They were going to the Barrel seeing it was Ladies' Night and Mahandra had the night off.  “Your man makes a mean kamikaze,” Mahandra had said.  “And he's easy on the eyes.”

Jaye had just slid a dish into the soapy water when Aaron walked in with the last of them.  He set them on the counter then leaned against it. 

“You could lend me a hand,” Jaye said pointedly.  Aaron shrugged and grinned.

“I love seeing you all domestic.  It makes me misty.”

She snorted and went back to washing.  A bit of movement on the shelf above the sink caught Jaye's eye.  She scanned the shelf until her gaze came to rest on a can of Bon Ami and its iconic fluffy yellow chick.

Yvette was a loyal Bon Ami user so Jaye, having grown up with cans of it sitting above the sink for as long as she could remember, usually paid it no mind.

That is until the chick shook itself and scratched the floor of the can.  Jaye blinked, hoping that maybe it was just a trick of the lights.  It turned its head and its little eyes focused on her like a laser sight.

“Hey.”

The dish in her hands slid down to make a mute clatter at the bottom of the sink as Jaye was broken from her stupor.  “What?”

Aaron drew back.  “You looked like you were catatonic for a minute.  You all right?” 

 

Out the corner of her eye, she could see the Bon Ami chick scratching and pecking as though it were on a free range somewhere in the Midwest.  “I'm fine,” Jaye said brightly.  “Just dandy.”

Aaron was about to say more when Mahandra swept into the kitchen with some stray utensils.  “Your mother is looking at me like I'm a two piece with a biscuit,” she said as she took up a spot next to Aaron, and folded her arms over her chest.   “You cannot leave me alone with her.” 

Jaye waved it off and turned back to washing, the chick having settled down for the moment.  “It'll pass.  She'll be on to something new soon enough.”

She was about to say more when the chick suddenly trotted around the circumference of the can before taking up its original spot. It turned its head and chirped, "Come clean."

Jaye froze.

"Are you even listening to me? I'm freaking out here."  Mahandra said.  Jaye felt her carefully built walls falling away as the chick hopped from one clawed foot to the other.

"Fuck. Me." Jaye muttered.

"Excuse me?"

Jaye whirled around, putting the can at her back so she could face both Aaron and Mahandra.  “I know you did not just say fuck me,” Mahandra said, slow and somewhat deadly. 

Aaron looked worried, or at least concerned.  One eyebrow upward and he mouthed, “Voices?”

Jaye nodded nervously just as an indignant chirp and a peevish "come clean" followed.  She whipped around and glared at the chick.  “Stop it,” she hissed.

“Come clean, come clean!” 

Jaye grabbed the can and shook it, cleanser spilling over her hands.  When she looked up, Mahandra was watching her with her mouth hanging open and Aaron had covered his eyes and was shaking his head. 

She put the can down, nudging it away from her.  “Let's go,” Jaye said grimly and wiped her hands on her jeans.

 

 **III. Unspooled**

Mahandra stared at the drink in front of her and wondered just how she had gotten there.

There being McNulty's Pub near the edge of town.  As to the how, it involved Jaye, her car and bypassing the Barrel in favor of this dive-est of dives.  The sort of dive where the regulars seemed to have their asses glued to the bar stools 24/7.

Aaron had had a worried look on his face ever since they'd left the house.

And Jaye?  Jaye was working her way through her third shot of tequila. 

“Okay,” Mahandra began, “When I asked you to save me from your mother, I didn't expect you to go to this extreme.”  She poked Aaron in the leg.  “Talk to your sister.”

“I'm not sure if that would help,” Aaron said.  Jaye looked at him balefully and pushed a shot in front of each of them.

“You've been acting strange since before we left the house,” Mahandra said, tapping the shot glass with her fingers.  “You throttled a can of household cleanser, Jaye.  What the hell was that?”

“It was a sign,” Jaye muttered.  “I'm supposed to unburden myself.”

Mahandra sat back and counted to ten and added on a hurried prayer of “Save me from the crazy,” just in case.  “Jaye, sweetie, is there something you want to tell me?  You're okay with me and Aaron, right?”

"Good god, yes.” Jaye said. "He's a lot more bearable for one thing. I sorta twigged to the fact that he was seeing someone when I found him skulking around the Barrel."

Mahandra chuckled then gave a discreet shudder as she remembered exactly what some of Aaron’s skulking had resulted in.

Jaye snorted. “I saw that. You’re all ooey gooey for him.”  She nodded at Aaron.  “And you're all ooey gooey for her.” 

“So what is it?”  Mahandra asked.  She looked from Jaye to Aaron then back again.

"Is he dying? Is he dying and he won't tell me?" 

Aaron broke in with, “Jaye's just having a bit of a moment and it's going to pass.”

Mahandra watched as Jaye waved a dismissive hand at her brother.  “Pass, shmass.  I'm just gonna rip the bandage off.”

“Jaye,” Aaron warned.  “Don't.”

The air stilled between the three of them and then Jaye huffed, “Aaron and I have been sleeping together off and on for years.” There.  Bandage off.

Mahandra froze as the words slowly worked their way into her alcohol soaked brain. Jaye opened her mouth to say more when one slim brown upraised index finger stopped her.

Mahandra licked her lips and said slowly and carefully, “Did you just say that you’ve been sleeping with your brother?”

Jaye nodded. “Uh, yeah.”

Mahandra turned to look at Aaron. “How long?”

“How long what?” Aaron repeated.  Suddenly, Mahandra slammed her hand down on the table and she lunged into his personal space.

“How long have you been fucking your sister,” Mahandra hissed, “Your sister who happens to be my best friend and who until today never told me that you two were fucking and oh my God this is why you’re sleeping with me because I’m practically your sister anyway. Fuck, this isn’t happening!  Jesus you’re practically my brother and I knew something like this was going to happen because it always happens like this and oh God, you’re sleeping with her.”

The words were drunkenly jumbled as Mahandra’s brain dumped everything onto the fast lane that was her mouth.

Aaron grabbed her shoulders. “You’re making a scene.”

“I’m making a scene? Are you shitting me? You tell me that you’re fucking Jaye and I’m supposed to be all yay you?” Mahandra’s voice rose and Jaye looked around to see if anyone was actually listening but no one seemed to be interested in their little domestic drama.

“You know, I expected a lot of things from you, but _Flowers in the Attic_ was not on the list!”

Aaron looked at Jaye who supplied, “Brother and sister locked in an attic end up getting it on. They even made a movie.”

“Why am I not surprised that you know this?”

"And may I just say ‘Eww’ to that reference?" Jaye continued indignantly. "Especially since our thing is our thing.  Not anybody else’s thing.”

Jaye sat back in her chair.  "That almost made sense," Aaron muttered as Mahandra swirled a finger around the rim of her shot glass thoughtfully.

She took a deep breath and then another.  Aaron and Jaye were both watching her.  The smart thing to do would be to get up from the table, call a cab then go outside and wait.  That would be the smart thing.

Given the people she was with, smart was the last thing on Mahandra's mind.

She downed the shot then pushed back from the table and stood up.  “Where are you going?”  Aaron asked. 

“I am going to order us some more drinks and hope that I don't catch something from the glasses.  And then we're going to sit here and get very drunk and maybe even talk about your dick, Aaron, since Jaye has intimate knowledge of it.”  Mahandra held out her hand and motioned to Jaye. “Keys.”

Jaye handed them over and Mahandra stalked over to the bar.

“She's taking this surprisingly well,” Jaye observed. 

“You just had to tell her,” Aaron hissed.  “I thought we'd agreed not too.”

“The chick made me do it,” Jaye said.  “That's all I've got to say.”

**

“You know Sharon's a lesbian.”

“What?”

“No way!”

The three of them sat on Jaye's bed in the Airstream, passing around a bottle of tequila after having taken a cab over from McNulty's.  Aaron would drive Mahandra home in the morning and drop off Jaye to pick up her car. 

“Does Sharon know about you two?”  Mahandra asked, gesturing between them. 

“Noooo, that would be a bad thing,” Jaye said.  “She would unspool.  Her word, not mine.”  She set the tequila bottle on the floor and leaned back against the pillows.  “Are you okay?”

Mahandra shook her head.  "I don't know.  I guess I am right now but maybe it's because I'm drunk off my ass."  She leaned back in Aaron's arms.  He really did act like a big brother even when he was trying to get his mack on - something that was cringe inducing as much as it was amusing.  Mahandra felt a bit dirty, like she was being naughty.  Sleeping with your best friend's brother just wasn't done.  Or shouldn't be done.  Or something like that.  But then, so was said brother sleeping with his sister.  At some point it all canceled itself out.

“Since we're all drunk and not going anywhere, I'd suggest we table this until the morning,” Aaron offered.  He kissed the top of Mahandra's head.  “How about it?”

“I'll take the couch,” Jaye said and began to slide off the bed.

“You might as well stay,” Mahandra said.  “Not that anything is going to happen but we're at the slumber party stage of our evening.”

Jaye looked from her best friend to her brother and smiled.  “Fine.  But I'm sleeping in the middle.”


End file.
